How Can I Find Contact Information of Rehabbers?

I am not a rehabber, and I don't intend becoming one, though I admire what they do.

I have a full time job that I love, and I invest in real estate on the side.

I get a dozen offers a week from brokers who work with rehabbers and want to sell homes to me.

I want to skip that step and work directly with high quality rehabbers.

How do I find contact information of a number of rehabbers?

...

Answer by Joe Trometer


It sounds like you have wonderful relationships with real estate Brokers because they are contacting you often.

That would be my first place to start and ask those Brokers for referrals of those local rehabbers, but there are legal issues here.
Brokers and real estate agents are cautioned not to refer anyone for any professional services in fear of being sued on deal gone bad.

Some real estate offices may have occasional "meet and greet" gatherings where you can meet people in the industry in person. But there is a better source...

Do a search for REIA...

...Real Estate Investor Association (REIA) in your area or ask your Broker friends.
Also, search out National REIA's main site for chapters across the United States.
Your local REIA is a great place to network for real estate contacts at all levels, big and small, plus many of the professional service providers are there looking for your business and are guest speakers.
They usually have a newsletter with advertisements or contributors in the real estate industry that may be useful for you.

A Little Deeper on What or Who a Home Rehabber Is or Is Not...

When I was VP at my local REIA membership in 2009, and a long time member prior, the term House Rehabber became a buzz word just like the term Flipping Houses.

Just about everyone in the room liked to use the word Home-Rehabber and many of them referred to themselves as such.

I got caught up with the term as well and named this website Ask-The-Rehabber.com but I had some credentials to back me up.
I am a licensed Builder, HVAC contractor, and real estate agent. More so, I'm a skilled tradesman and love to work on properties I Own, versus having customers or an employer.

Like you I love my work... That's where I found myself to be most productive and creative.

I found when I called myself a Contractor people wanted to hire me.
When I called myself a Home Rehabber and I work only on properties I own, I attracted freindships with people doing the same instead of customers needing remodeling.

Not all property rehabbers are licensed, skilled trades people, or qualified to work for others. There is a percentage that may be simply rehabbing their home and 1 or 2 apartments.
Nothing wrong with that. That's how I started decades ago when I was cooking in my little restaurant.

So a house rehabber tends to be more of a do-it-yourself remodeler with an interest in real estate investing.

When doing home renovations and you don't want to do any of the work, you may require licensed contractors that pull permits, are experts in their field, and guarantee their work.

You can find those professional service providers as mentioned above plus,
searching the internet and printed advertisements in your local area.
Angie's List on the internet offers professional service providers including the customer's feedback for a fee.

Best Return On Investment:

Licensed contractors following Building Codes, that pull permits, have excellent public reviews, and come personally referred to you by someone you trust. Catch them off season for their discounted special offerings.

Less expensive Repair and Remodelers:

The Handyman or Handy Person...

...Sometimes work under the table for cash because they don't have an established business. They're not licensed and cannot pull building permits. When permits are required, the only option is for the home owner to pull a permit. If it's an investment property, many building departments require licensed contractors to pull the permits.

Depending on the End-Use of Your Remodeled Property

When your making a profit from buying a property that's already remodeled and renting it out (if that's what you're doing), you have a business model that's working. In this example you would be a landlord collecting rents that give you a profit after your purchase with immediate rentability.

Buying Fixer Uppers and Hiring Rehabbers or Contractors to Remodel...

Puts you in the General Contractor position...

...The person who is in charge of, plans out, and estimates the entire remodeling project.
They're in charge of hiring and paying the subcontractors, pulling the building permits, satisfying the Building Inspectors, and bringing the project in on budget.

Note: Over runs, change orders, time delays... in other words; additional costs over the initial project estimate are common on large projects.

The General Contractor, or in this case, You as the property Investor, would be responsible to oversee all the workers, the work they perform, and meet with the Building Officials to satisfy Code requirements to obtain your final C of O (Certificate of Occupancy).

I hope this helps you some...

...But it does sound like you already have a business model that's working for you;
with a "job you love" (very cool),
investing in remodeled properties,
and putting those properties to work for yourself.

I'm thinking that if you wouldn't like working on your own properties,

the question I would ask you is...

Do you want to manage skilled trades people, the project, and be on your job-site everyday?

Alternatively, hire a General Contractor ( G.C. ) to oversee the entire project and you be the money person (Investor);
then you wouldn't be involved on the job site and your G.C. can keep you in the loop with daily photos on your smartphone, tablet, or computer.

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